Spring's longer days tell horses it's time to lose their fuzzy winter hair and grow their slick summer coats. This event at my house consists of three months of flying fur. Red, my older horse, has always grown hair in preparation for the unlikely event of an arctic winter, and it really takes this long for him to relinquish it all. I really got into grooming this weekend, as Sunday was cold but sunny and made me want to be outside.

In nature, horses stand side by side, facing each others' tails, and groom one another with their teeth. This may be where the phrase, "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine" came from. Sometimes when I groom the horses, they'll want to groom me back. I appreciate the gesture—it's like they're saying "thank you" for my effort. Of course, the chomping of horse teeth on my shoulder, back, or whatever other body part they can reach is not high on my list of sensations to experience in the course of a normal day. I politely push them away and continue my work, but it makes me smile.

Saying thank you is something we as humans overlook regularly. We often don't say thank you to a customer, employee, volunteer, or—least of all—significant other. When you do say thank you to a customer, it likely will be welcomed, unlike my reaction to the horses' giant incisors. This simple phrase is something that will be remembered. Leaving a customer, employee, or volunteer with a positive image is inexpensive and invaluable. We should all practice saying a sincere "thank you" more often.